Animal Sciences Commons^™

Train–Elephant Collisions In A Biodiversity-Rich Landscape: A Case Study From Rajaji National Park, North India, Ritesh Joshi, Kanchan Puri

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Linear developments like railways and highways have a negative impact on ecological processes of wildlife species at a landscape level. The impacts in terms of wildlife mortality and threat to surviving populations of species have been well-studied; however, less work has been done to understand the potential causes of train–wildlife collisions, particularly large mega-fauna such as Asian elephants (Elephas maximus; elephant). In this case study, we review train–elephant collisions (TECs) that occurred in Rajaji National Park (RNP) and discuss some potential causes of TECs along with mitigation measures. The RNP, located in the upper Gangetic plains of northern …

Consequences Of Porcine Zona Pellucida Immunocontraception To Feral Horses, Cassandra M.V. Nuñez

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Porcine zona pellucida (PZP) immunocontraception was developed to provide a more humane, effective, and inexpensive method of population regulation for wildlife species. It has been used to regulate populations of several species including white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), elk (Cervus elaphus ), black bear (Ursus americanus ), and the feral horse (Equus ferus caballus) with varying levels of success. Early studies on Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland, USA, suggested PZP was as an ideal form of fertility control because it reduced the likelihood of conception to

Behavioral Characteristics Affect Habitat Selection Of Domestic Ruminants, Cody B. Scott

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I evaluated some of the factors affecting livestock distribution by conducting experimental (Chapters II and III) and observational (Chapter IV) studies. In Chapter II, I described the effect of locations of familiar foods and social interactions on choice of feeding location by lambs. Lambs were exposed to a pasture as subgroups of strangers and companions with different dietary habits (i.e., three lambs that preferred milo with three lambs that preferred wheat). Milo was placed on one end and wheat on the other, about 100 m apart. Strangers typically fed in different locations, reflecting dietary preferences. Conversely, companions fed in both …

The Social Behavior Of Brown Bears At Mcneil River, Alaska, Allan L. Egbert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The social behavior of brown bears (Ursus arctos) was studied during the summers of 1972 and 1973 as bears fished for salmon at McNeil River, Alaska. Study objectives were to determine behavioral characteristics of bears in relation to sex and age, changes in social behavior over a 40-day long fishing season, social and environmental parameters correlated with the occurrence of behavior, and to test the hypothesis that brown bears modify social behavior in a feeding aggregation to exploit a resource limited in time and space.

Over one-half of the agonistic interactions consisted of passive deferrals. Encounters that included …

Trout Movements In A Small Mountain Stream, Thomas Mark Twedt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Five groups of 400 hatchery rainbow trout, (Salmo gairdneri), were stocked in a small, mountain stream at 3-week intervals from June to September, 1972. A fish trap captured any fish moving out of a 500 m study section.

Fish began moving at high levels during the first day of each stocking and continued at high rates for 5-8 days (Early Phase), after which movement decreased to low levels for 6-9 days (Late Phase). Early Phase fish moved primarily at night, possibly due to their disoriented state and high subjectivity to stream conditions. Fish moving during Late Phase did …